Poinsettia Bowl

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With more than a million and a half gallons of water flooding the field of Qualcomm Stadium hours before kickoff, it seemed prophetic that a drought was about to come to an end.

Behind a 228-yard rushing performance from freshman running back Ronnie Hillman, the San Diego State Aztecs defeated Navy 35-14 on Thursday in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. It was the Aztecs’ first bowl victory in 41 years.

In front of 48,049, Hillman ran for three touchdowns and caught another as the Aztecs (9-4) totaled 555 yards of offense. Senior wide receiver Vincent Brown also had a sensational game, catching eight balls for 165 yards and a touchdown.

“We got thoroughly whipped,” said Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo.

The Aztecs led wire-to-wire with a balanced attack that accounted for 279 rushing yards and 276 passing yards, averaging an impressive 8.7 yards per play. Navy (9-4), which entered the game ranked fifth in the nation averaging 288.9 rushing yards per game with its vaunted triple-option offense, was limited to 235 yards on the ground by SDSU’s defense, which pitched a second-half shutout.

“We didn’t see anything in this game that we didn’t see in practice,” said linebacker Miles Burris, who had six tackles including one for a loss. “They are probably the best in the nation at what they do.”

Quarterback Ryan Lindley was a crisp, interception-free 18-of-23 for 276 yards and two scores.

Hillman, who set the Poinsettia Bowl record for most rushing yards and tied his career high, was named offensive MVP. Senior safety Andrew Preston (team high 10 tackles) was named defensive MVP.

Both Lindley and Hillman credited the offensive line for giving them time and the holes to put up the big numbers.

“It’s easy to run when you have holes the size of the Grand Canyon,” Hillman said.

The win gave the Aztecs, playing in their first bowl game since 1998, their most victories since the 1977 team went 10-1. It also snapped a three-game losing streak in bowl games.

“Just to see where we’ve been and all the work we’ve gone through to get to where we are at now, it’s a great feeling,” said Brown. “It’s a great thing for us. I’m happy to leave a legacy for the young guys.”

The Aztecs scored first when Hillman broke free on a 22-yard touchdown run on the Aztecs’ second offensive possession. Hillman accounted for 37 of the 59 yards on the drive.

San Diego State stretched the lead to 14-0 in the first quarter on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Lindley to Brown. It was the longest touchdown pass Navy had allowed all season.

“Their offense has a lot of weapons,” Navy safety Wyatt Middleton said. “But from a defensive standpoint, we had opportunities to make plays, we didn’t make them, and they took advantage of that. Whether it was stopping the run or stopping the pass, they played really well and we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had.”

By the end of the first quarter, Brown had six catches for 143 yards — a new Poinsettia Bowl record for receiving yards in a game.

Hillman added his second touchdown of the game on a 37-yard run with 3:15 remaining in the half.

For all the talk about Navy’s running game, it was the passing game that gave the Aztecs fits in the first half. Ricky Dobbs (107 yards rushing, 147 passing) connected twice with Greg Jones on big plays. The first was a 30-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter that cut SDSU’s lead to 14-7. The second, a 40-yarder in the closing minute of the half, set up Dobbs’ 1-yard touchdown run make the score 21-14 SDSU at the break.

Navy opened the second half with a long drive that was thwarted on fourth-and-goal at the SDSU 3 when Dobbs couldn’t connect with Bo Snelson. Both coaches called that a critical turning point in a scoreless third quarter.

“Our defense stood up and did a tremendous job,” SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Hillman scored his first receiving touchdown of the season after Lindley faked a handoff to fullback Brandon Sullivan. Hillman slipped out uncovered for the 15-yard TD and a 28-14 SDSU advantage.

He added a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:07 to play.

“You know, the O-line, we put a high school senior back there, he would have gained 1,000 yards,” Hillman said.